


Voces Simul - Voices Together

by Authoranna



Series: Watson & Reed [8]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M, malcolm needs a hug, mostly i need cuddles but I'll get them vicariously, or rather cuddles, small snippet post season one episode 21 vox sola
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27247012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authoranna/pseuds/Authoranna
Summary: After the events of Vox Sola (S1.E21), Malcolm Reed needs a little reassurance and physical contact from his girlfriend.
Relationships: Malcolm Reed/OFC
Series: Watson & Reed [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999420
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Voces Simul - Voices Together

“This day could not have gone much worse,” Malcolm groaned, slumping onto the chair beside his bed. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles. 

“The day is over, crisis averted, everyone is back where they belong, and safe and healthy. You did your job, Malcolm,” Charlotte replied, stepping out of the bathroom. Her long hair was pulled back in a fresh braid, hair still damp from her shower earlier in the communal lavatory. 

“I could’ve killed everyone with the E.M. emitters. I almost killed the captain!” The armoury officer replied, putting his head in his hands. 

“Yes, but almost isn’t the same as did.” She sat down on the bed, grabbing his shoulder so he’d turn to look at her. “You didn’t know the creature was connected to them; once Doc told you to stop, you did. You used the E.M. forcefield to contain the creature until Hoshi was able to talk to it. The forefield which by the way was only a prototype and you worked on until it would work for you. You handled today the best that you could; stop beating yourself up about it and go shower so you can sleep.”

“What if it didn’t work, though? What if the E.M. emitters killed everyone before the doctor could stop me? What if it took too long for Ensign Sato to talk to the creature and they were all stuck together forever? It would’ve been my fault, Charlie.”

She reached over, unzipping his jumpsuit as she spoke. “What if, what if, what if. Life is full of what ifs, but none of those happened. Don’t worry about the past, babe.” She pushed the jumpsuit down off his shoulders, forcing him to shrug out of it. “Worrying about the past is like rocking in a rocking chair: you have something to do but you don’t get anywhere.” 

“You sound like Commander Tucker,” he mumbled, pushing his boots off.

“No, I sound like my mother, who came from Alabama. Now strip and shower, you stink.” She swatted at his ass as he stood up, and he let out a sigh before pulling the rest of his clothes off to head into the lavatory. 

Fifteen minutes later he returned to the bed, towel wrapped around his waist. Charlotte was laying across the bed, PADD in one hand, her back to the bulkhead. She glanced up at her boyfriend before he dropped the towel, wiggling her eyebrows lasciviously at him. When he simply rolled his eyes, she sent him a grin before returning her attention to the book she was reading. 

He crawled onto the bunk after pulling on the standard Starfleet issue blue boxers, the towel forgotten on the floor. Pulling the PADD out of Charlotte’s hand to slide it onto the desk, he was answered with a squawk of indignation before he muttered and grumbled and collapsed onto the mattress.

“Oi, move your long legs to your own side of the bed. I need to pull the sheets up, too,” Charlotte huffed, pushing his legs over off of herself and struggling to pull the covers up. When her task was accomplished, she wrapped an arm around her companion’s waist. 

Malcolm turned onto his side so he was facing away from her, his back pressed to her front. She reached up to play with his hair, running her fingers gently through the strands along his scalp. He gave a slight shiver when she touched the spot behind his ear, and she laughed softly as she imagined a Malcolm-esque dog. 

“Go to sleep, babe; I’ll be here when you wake up,” she whispered.

“Don’t be late for your shift,” he answered, as he always did.

“Never am,” she laughed. “You always wake before me.” She stopped playing with his hair, moving her hand down to his chest and placing it over his heart. She pulled him closer, nuzzling into his neck. “Sleep well.”

Malcolm grabbed the hand that was over his heart, interlacing their fingers together and settling into the bed and the embrace. Maybe the day hadn’t gone that bad, if he ended it here. 


End file.
